The Current Sits Down With New Boys Head Varsity Baseball Coach Chris Nee

Chris Nee is Potomac’s new Head Varsity Baseball Coach for Potomac, succeeding Eric Crozier. After a strong season last year, with the Panthers finishing as MAC regular season and tournament champions, Coach Crozier left large shoes to fill, especially with the loss of a strong senior class. However, the team shows incredible promise for this season – with Coach Nee now at the helm.

Before coming to Potomac, Coach Nee spent ten years as a pitching and assistant coach at Catholic University. Coach Nee’s career highlights include the 2017 season when Catholic pitchers outmatched and ranked first in the Landmark Conference for strikeouts, with 314. In 2022, Catholic pitchers ranked third in the country for strikeouts in a 50-game season, with a whopping 470. He has coached 13 players to the professional level from his time in the elite Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League and has led over 50 collegiate players to other awards and decorations, including All-American status. In addition to working with Potomac athletes, Coach Nee now works with middle and high school athletes at Bradley Baseball Academia (BBA).

We sat down with Coach Nee to gain insight into his goals and coaching methods for the team in this pivotal season for the program.

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Q: What do you consider some of your best coaching philosophies, and where did they come from?

A: In terms of philosophies, it’s first and foremost always having a blue collar mindset whenever you’re stepping on the baseball field. The number one thing is to use the acronym ACE. That’s our attitude, concentration, and effort. From there, if we’re able to hone our attitude, concentration, and effort while on the field, just really focusing on controlling the controllable, you’re going to come out on the better side of the ballgame at the end of the day.

Q: What are some of your goals for the season for both the team and for yourself as a new coach?

A: With myself, the number one thing is getting all 23 players in our program on a personal level. From there, it’s just really knowing what drives them, what motivates them, and how to get the best out of them not only when we’re on the field. For the team itself, obviously following up a great year going 20 and 5 last year and winning the MAC, my goal is to go further than we have ever gone before. Just making sure we’re putting the best product on the field each and every day. But my first and foremost goal is to win game one and then play like we have a zero-zero record every day.

Q: Would you speak a little about the team’s potential this year, especially coming into the season, as MAC season and tournament champions?

A: Of course. Overall, we have a great senior class. We have five seniors this year. We have Paul Witcop who will be attending University of Richmond, Owen Peterson attending the United States Naval Academy, Jack Graham going to James Madison, David Boehm going to Gettysburg College, then Jackson Wiley, who’s going to be heading on to Washington and Lee. It’s really a great senior class with a lot of experience, and in our junior class as well. We have guys like Wyatt Pence and Colby Bohnen, who had a great start that helped win the Prospect Select Tournament against Key West High School last year. My goal is to utilize and maximize the experience we have, then getting our newcomers into the program this year acclimated quickly so that way they can produce to the best of their ability on the field.

Q: Would you share a little bit about your personal journey with baseball and how it’s influenced your coaching career?

A: Of course. I grew up in New Jersey, right by Rutgers University. I came down to the Washington DC area in 2009, where I attended Catholic University and played for four years. Once I finished my playing career, I got into coaching right away. I spent 10 seasons at Catholic as their pitching coach. I originally got into coaching because in my freshman year of college, I tore my elbow, which required Tommy John surgery. With that surgery I was out for a year, and being able to see the game from an outside perspective drove my passion for coaching. I decided in Spring of 2010 that I wanted to get into coaching long-term. I’ve been able to be around a lot of great coaches in my career, from my high school coach and travel baseball coaches to my head coach at Catholic University, who’s one of the highest-winning coaches in the history of division three baseball. Picking up little things from them helps you in order to be able to produce the best result.

Q: What do you enjoy the most about coaching?

A: Player development. Winning is cool, winning’s fun. Obviously, that’s the reason you play every game. But from there, getting a player when they first come in and being able to watch their development and work with them over time is something that I truly pride myself on. I’ve coached players from my time at Catholic University who have gone on to play at Power Five Division One schools, such as Maryland and Rice, and players from coaching college summer ball who’ve gone on to play professional baseball. It’s taking advantage of the opportunity you have when you first meet them, seeing their potential, having the right development plan for them, and from there sending them off to wherever they may be going. This instance here at Potomac, the goal is to send them off to the best school possible education-wise first, but then hopefully having that ability to also play baseball.

Q: What are some of your coaching strategies that you plan to use this year?

A: First and foremost, getting to know each player on a personal level and in the scope of the game. Knowing which positions fit them the best, how they fit as a piece of the team surrounding them. Just making sure that we’re putting them in the best place and position to succeed and continuing to enhance that development over the course of the year.

Q: That’s all I have, thank you so much!